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A REPORT 

ON THE FEASIBILITY AND ADVISABILITY OF 
SOME POLICY TO INAUGURATE 

A SYSTEM OF RIFLE PRACTICE 

THROUGHOUT THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

OF THE COUNTRY 



NATIONAL BOARD FOR THE PROMOTION OF 
RIFLE PRACTICE 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1907 




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A REPORT ON 

THE FEASIBILITY AND ADVISABILITY OF SOME POLICY 

TO INAUGURATE A SYSTEM OF RIFLE PRACTICE 

THROUGHOUT THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

OF THE COUNTRY 



By 

Gen. GEORGE W. WINGATE 

Of New York 

and 

Gen. AMMON B. CRITCHFIELD 

Of Ohio 



PUBLISHED IN ACCORDANCE WITH A RESOLUTION OF THE NATIONAL BOARD 
FOR THE PROMOTION OF RIFLE PRACTICE 



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WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1907 



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At the annual meeting of the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice, 
held at Washington, D. C, January 24, 1906, the question of building up an interest 
in target practice throughout the schools of the country was discussed, and a special 
committee consisting of Gen. L. M. Oppenheimer, of Texas; Gen. George W. Wingate, 
of New York, and Gen. Ammon B. Critchfield, of Ohio, was appointed to inquire into 
and report at the next annual meeting of the board upon — 

The feasibility and advisability of some policy to inaugurate a system of rifle prac- 
tice throughout the public schools of the country. 

At the last meeting of the board held at Washington, D. C, January 25, 1907, the 
report of this committee was submitted by Generals Wingate and Critchfield, and 
is published in accordance with the following resolution of the board, which was 
unanimously adopted: 

Resolved, That the report of the committee on rifle practice in public schools be 
approved and the thanks of the board be tendered Generals Wingate and Critchfield 
for their valuable paper; that the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice 
recommend to the various educational authorities the desirability of interesting 
school boys over 13 years of age in the subject of rifle practice. It was 

Further resolved, That this report be printed separately and given the greatest pub- 
licity, the matter of distribution and number of copies required therefor to be sub- 
mitted to the committee on publicity, with power. 

It is deeply regretted that before the completion of the report General Oppenheimer 
died, and his great help in assisting to promote interest in rifle practice is lost to the 
country. 

This report is earnestly commended to the superintendents of public instruction 
throughout the country. 

Robert Shaw Oliver, 
Assistant Secretary of War, 
President National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice. 
Grote Hutcheson, 

Captain, General Staff, 
Member and Recorder, National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice. 



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Report on the Feasibility and Advisability of some Policy to Inaugurate 
a System of Rifle Practice throughout the Public Schools of the 
Country* 

New York, January 21, 1907. 
National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice. 

Gentlemen : In pursuance of the resolution of the board requesting 
the late Gen. L. M. Oppenheimer, of Texas' (who died since the last 
meeting of the board, and whose death is deplored), and the under- 
signed to report "on the feasibility and advisability of some policy to 
inaugurate a system of rifle practice throughout the public schools of 
the country," we respectfully report: 

For many years attempts have been made to inaugurate a system 
of military instruction in the public schools of the country. As a 
rule, these have not proved successful. In a few private military 
schools situated in the country some target practice is conducted, but 
the difficulty of carrying on anything of the kind in the public schools 
has rendered it impracticable. 

The matter, however, has recently been introduced in the public 
schools of the city of New York, and the success which has been 
attained there has demonstrated the feasibility and advisability of 
introducing rifle practice in the public schools among the boys over 
the age of 13 years. 

The schools of the different States are organized upon many differ- 
ent methods. The educational authorities not unnaturally are jeal- 
ous of their prerogatives. No outside organization could well intro- 
duce a new subject of instruction in the schools without seriously 
interfering with the educational routine. Consequently, however 
desirable it may be that the pupils attending these schools should be 
taught to shoot, such instruction can only be secured by the voluntary 
action of the school authorities and with their hearty cooperation. 

The result which has been attained by the Public Schools Athletic 
League in introducing shooting in the high schools of the city of New 
York has been so thoroughly- tested that the committee are of the 
opinion that that system should be recommended for adoption. 

Few appreciate the magnitude of the New York public schools. 
There are 3 training schools, 19 high schools, 490 elementary schools, 
2 truant schools, and 1 nautical school; total, 515, with 14,500 
teachers. 

These schools are scattered all over the 326 square miles which the 
city covers. 

The registered number of pupils enrolled in these schools is about 
600,000, which is more than the entire population of St. Louis, the 
fourth city in the Union. Half of them are boys. The number 



4 BIFLE PEACTICE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

attending the high schools is about 20,000, a little more than half of 
whom are boys. The College of the City of New York has about 
4,000 male students. 

The vast territory over which the city has spread, and its congested 
streets Jiave made it impossible for the children (particularly in the 
poorer districts) , to get any physical exercise, and the physical con- 
dition of many of them has in consequence not only become below 
normal, but instead of spending their energies in play, as they do in 
the country, the boys are led to join " gangs " and to become criminals. 

This lamentable condition of affairs led to the formation of the 
Public Schools Athletic League for the purpose of promoting whole- 
some athletic exercises among the children attending the public 
schools of that city. The league is made up from officers and direct- 
ors of the board of education, superintendents, principals and teachers, 
f)rominent athletes, gentlemen interested in philanthropic work, and 
eading business men. It was organized December 4, 1903, and its 
progress has been so great that during the year 1906 there were over 
150,000 entries in the games which it carried on, which numbered 
over 600. 

In the early part of 1905 it decided to institute rifle practice among 
the boys of the high schools of the city, which schools are attended by 
boys from fourteen to nineteen years of age, by installing in as many 
of the high schools as possible a "subtarget gun machine." This is 
an ingenious apparatus, by which an ordinary Krag army rifle is 
attached to a rod upon an upright standard, placed to the right, of 
the firer, in such a way that while the gun is movable, the rod follows 
the movements of the barrel of the rifle, and is at all times parallel 
with the line of the sights. 

The shooter cocks the rifle and aims at a target a foot high on the 
other side of the room, and when his aim is satisfactory, pulls the 
trigger. When this is done an electrical connection is made which 
shoots forward the rod which is on the standard, so that its point 
punches a hole in a miniature target like a visiting card, which is 
placed in front of it, which hole is mathematically on the same rela- 
tive place on the card target as would have been made in the target 
at which the shooter was aiming if he had a bullet in his rifle. It 
consequently gives the same experience in holding and "pull off" as 
is had in actual shooting. 

The machine possesses the additional advantage that the instructor 
standing on one side of the shooter can see by the movements of the 
point of the rod on the miniature target exactly how the aim is being 
taken on the large target and is able to correct all errors in holding 
and pulling off as they are made, something which has hitherto been 
supposed to be impossible. The apparatus makes no noise. There 
is no danger of its hurting anybody. It can be used very rapidly, 
and there is no expense involved in its operation. The results 
obtained from its use are so valuable that several of the New York 
National Guard regiments consider the machine equal in value to 
their rifle galleries. 

The league succeeded in interesting a number of prominent gentle- 
men with the importance of teaching the youth of the country the 
use of the military rifle, so that they presented a sufficient number of 
these machines to enable the league to install one of them in each of 






RIFLE PRACTICE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 5 

ten of the high schools at a cost of $265 each. The schools which are 
thus equipped are as follows: 

Mr. S. R. Guggenheim, the treasurer of the league, gave one to each 
of the following schools: 

The High School of Commerce and the De Witt Clinton High School 
(Manhattan), Morris High School (Bronx), Boys' High School (Brook- 
lyn), Curtis High School (Staten Island), and the Bryant High School 
(Queens). 

Col. Leslie C. Bruce presented one to the Stuyvesant High School 
(Manhattan),. Mr. Warren Cruikshank gave one to Erasmus Hall 
High School (Flatbush), Col. Robert B. Woodward gave one to the 
Manual Training High School (Brooklyn) in memory of his brother, 
the late Maj. Gen. John B. Woodward, and Hon. Bird S. Coler and 
Mr. Horace J. Morse united in giving one to the Commercial High 
School (Brooklyn). Another, presented by Mr. J. A. Haskell, will 
shortly be installed in one of the other high schools. The City Col- 
lege expects to have one during the spring. 

In pursuance of the policy adopted by the league in regard to its 
athletic games, it caused a "marksmanship committee" to be ap- 
pointed in 1905, consisting of the coaches of the different schools 
having gun machines, to organize and control the shooting under 
regulations adopted by the high schools games committee and ap- 
proved by the central games committee of the league. 

This committee has been found of great value in carrying on the 
work and creating interest in shooting in their different schools. 

In 1905 Mr. Henry Payne Whitney presented to the league a beau- 
tiful bronze bas-relief, being a reproduction of Darnley's " Battle of 
Lexington," for annual competition by teams from the different 
schools having these machines, the winning school to keep it for the 
year. 

In 1905 four gun machines were in use, namely, by the De Witt 
Clinton High School, High School of Commerce, Morris High School, 
and the Boys' High School. 

In June, 1905, a competition was held between these schools, each 
school shooting in its own building under the inspection of the " marks- 
manship committee." 

The following were the scores for teams of 8, 10 shots standing, 
highest possible score 400 : 

De Witt Clinton High School 377 

High School of Commerce 363 

Morris High School 345 

Boys' High School 344 

The winning team averaged 47f out of 50. 

Two boys made perfect scores. 

Each member of the winning team was given a bronze badge 
modeled from the Whitney trophy. 

The result of this match greatly stimulated interest in the shooting. 
It also attracted public attention. 

During the fall of 1905, and the spring of 1906, the league was 
able to equip the remainder of the other six high schools with the 
machine. 

In 1906 it employed Capt. G. W. Corwin, inspector of rifle practice 
in the Seventy-first Regiment, New York National Guard, and one of 



6 RIFLE PRACTICE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

the best shots in the National Guard, as a general instructor, who 
served until after the Creedmoor competition. 

He selected in each school a teacher who was interested in the 
subject (usually the athletic instructor) as superintendent of shoot- 
ing, and in each class four boys as sergeant-instructors. The superin- 
tendent and these boys were carefully instructed by Captain Corwin 
in the theory and practice of shooting, so as to make them com- 
petent instructors. 

The system adopted varied in the different schools. Most of them 
preferred to use school hours for the purpose. In these schools, 
usually when each class was sent to the gymnasium for physical 
exercise, squads of boys in rotation were detached to practice their 
firing under the immediate direction of a sergeant-instructor, and the 
general direction of the superintendent of shooting, the whole being 
carefully supervised by Captain Corwin. 

Some schools preferred to have their shooting after school hours, 
in which case, however, it was carried on under the same general 
principle. 

Captain Corwin was of the opinion that the former method was the 
most satisfactory, although the Morris High School, which won the 
Whitney trophy in 1908, adopted the latter method. 

The league established a marksmanship badge, to be awarded, as 
in the National Guard and in the Army, to each boy who annually 
showed satisfactory proficiency in shooting. The qualifying score 
first adopted for this badge was 40 out of a possible 50 "off-hand." 
It was found almost immediately that the boys were shooting so well 
that it was necessary to raise the standard, which was therefore 
increased to 42 and later to 43. 

The following is a list of the number of boys who qualified as marks- 
men in their respective schools during the year 1906 : 

Bovs ' High School ■. 45 

Bryant High School 18 

Commercial High School 6 

Curtis High School 24 

De Witt Clinton High School 23 

Morris High School 16 

Erasmus Hall High School 15 

Manual Training High School , 23 

High School of Commerce 19 

Stuyvesant High School 8 

Total 197 

The qualifying score has now been raised to 44. 

The Brooklyn Eagle assumed the expense of manufacturing and 
presenting these badges, which consisted of a Maltese cross having 
crossed rifles, the seal of the league, which is the "Winged Victory," 
in the center, the whole being suspended from a bar with the word 
"Marksman" on it, and the date. 

During the spring of 1906 a large number of interscholastic com- 
petitions were held. These were found valuable, not only in broad- 
ening the boys' ideas in respect to shooting, but in helping their nerve 
in competitions. 

On June 1 and 2 the annual interscholastic competition for the 
Whitney trophy was held. Instead of having each team shoot in 
its own school it was decided to have them shoot together at the 
Seventy-first Regiment Armory as neutral ground, under the super- 



EIFLE PRACTICE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. ( 

vision of Captain Corwin as range officer. The following were the 
scores, the conditions being the same as above stated : 

Morris High School, Instructor E. M. Williams 359 

Curtis High School, Instructor O. M. Curtis 356 

High School of Commerce, Instructor Charles Jamison 355 

De Witt Clinton, Instructor Emanuel Haug .' . . 354 

Manual Training High School, Instructor Ernest G. Muller 350 

Bryant High School, Instructor George W. Norton 349 

Erasmus Hall High School, Instructor J. M. Tilden 348 

Stuyvesant High School, Instructor M. F. Goodrich 348 

Boys' High School, Instructor W. H. Andrews 340 

The two best scores were not as high as were made in 1905, largely- 
owing to the strain of shooting in actual competition and among 
strange surroundings. But the average was better and the scores 
were closer. 

The Savage Arms Company presented a rifle to each of the six 
schools whose team made the highest score in this match. 

For the purpose of impressing upon the boys and the public that 
those who could make a good score on the subtarget gun machine 
could shoot accurately in the field, the league arranged for a match 
between teams of five from all high schools and colleges, to be held at 
Creedmoor, July 26, 1906, to be shot 100 yards standing; 400 yards 
lying, five shots at each distance. It also arranged for two days' 
previous practice by the teams and also by all other boys who had 
won its marksman's badge, and paid the transportation and ammu- 
nition for the participants. . It provided Captain Corwin as instructor, 
who was assisted by a number of volunteers from the National 
Guard. About 150 boys in all availed themselves of this opportu- 
nity. None of the boys had ever previously fired a cartridge. Some 
of them were consequently a little nervous, in addition to being 
embarrassed in shooting in the presence of so many military men. 
After a few shots, however, they got over their nervousness. 

In the first practice the average score was about 60 out of 100. 
The second score averaged 80. 

Mr. J. A. Haskell, president of the Du Pont Powder Company, and 
a member of the national board, induced that company to present 
for annual competition in the match, a handsome bronze trophy. 

Mr. Simon Uhlmann presented a bronze figure of a rifleman, as 
second annual prize. 

The following is the score of the competitors in this match; highest 
possible score 250 : 

De Witt Clinton High School (Manhattan) 220 

Boys' High School (Brooklyn) 215 

St. John's Military School (Manlius, N. Y.) 211 

Commercial High School (Brooklyn) 201 

Curtis High School (Staten Island) 201 

St. John's Second Team ' 183 

Manual Training High School (Brooklyn) 181 

Stuyvesant High School (Manhattan) 174 

The winning team averaged 44 out of a possible 50, although the 
day was a difficult one for shooting. 

The School of Applied Science of Columbia University asked to be 
allowed to enter a team in this match, and offered to allow the high 
school boys a handicap of 25 points. This was objected to on the 
ground that they were grown men, who had opportunities for prac- 
tice which were out of the reach of the boys, and who were not in 



8 RIFLE PRACTICE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

the same class. They were, however, allowed to shoot under protest 
for the purpose of seeing how their scores would compare with those 
of the" boys. 

The score which they made was 218, which is less than that of the 
De Witt Clinton team, which could have beaten them without any 
handicap. 

This shooting shows the value of the practice with the subtarget 
machine, as the teams from both Columbia University and St. John's 
Military School had been practiced in actual rifle shooting, and yet 
were inferior in marksmanship to the high-school boys, who had only 
used the machine. 

A match was put on the programme of the New Jersey Rifle Associa- 
tion, September, 1906, at Sea Girt, in which a number of the boys 
entered. The pressure upon the target accommodation in conse- 
quence of the national matches was, however, so great that it could 
not be held at the date appointed, and the boys could not remain. 

The high schools which are equipped with this subtarget gun machine 
have organized rifle clubs, and are holding interscholastic contests in 
the armories of the different regiments of the National Guard, shooting 
with .22-caliber ammunition, and are displaying great proficiency. 

The movement has the hearty support of President Roosevelt, who 
has accepted the office of honorary vice-president of the league, and 
also has announced his intention of writing to the boy who attains the 
greatest skill in the rifle matches during the year a personal letter of 
congratulation and commendation. 

At the present time there are over 7,000 young men being instructed 
in these high schools in shooting with a military rifle, the gun used 
being the regular Krag army rifle as issued by the War Department. 

Great interest in the matter has been taken by both teachers and 
boys. Many of these have now become so proficient, that the serv- 
ices of a paid instructor have been dispensed with. It would, of 
course, be much better if a regular officer could be procured for such a 
purpose. But the finances of the league will not permit it to continue 
to incur the expense of paying the salary of such an instructor. It is 
believed that if a young and active regular officer could be detailed 
to act in this capacity he would be of the greatest service, and could, 
besides helping the shooting, give the boys some idea of military 
movements and discipline, which would be of great value. In fact 
an officer in this position would accomplish greater results for the 
country than is obtained by any of those who are detailed as instruc- 
tors in many of the small colleges. The supply of regular officers is, 
however, insufficient for the needs of the Army, and it has so far been 
impossible to have one detailed for this purpose. 

The league is now preparing a manual of instruction to be used 
in the different schools. In addition to containing instructions for 
the use of the subtarget gun machine it will give a general idea of 
what is necessary to know in order to shoot accurately. 

Those who have had charge of the instruction of these boys are 
unanimous in the opinion that they acquire knowledge of rifle shooting 
in about one-quarter of the time that is found necessary in the case 
of grown men. 

It is hardly necessary to state that the experience of our recent 
wars has pointed out that while there is no difficulty in case of war in 
getting all the volunteers that the country requires and they can be 



RIFLE PRACTICE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 9 

given a reasonable amount of drill in a few weeks, it takes a long 
time to teach them to shoot, and that unless they can shoot accurately 
they are of little value as soldiers. If, however, the young men 
who are graduating from our high schools in the different States 
should be skilled riflemen the country can rest content with a small 
standing army, knowing that in case of war it can put into the field 
at short notice a force of volunteers whose skill in rifle shooting 
will enable them to be fully the equal of any army which may be 
brought against them- 

The system is, therefore, a great factor for national peace. 

The committee would therefore recommend : 

1. That the largest possible publicity should be given to the 
methods that have been found to be so successful in the New York 
high schools. 

2. That the educational officials of the different States should be 
urged to introduce instruction in rifle shooting in their schools 
among the boys of 13 years of age and upward, conforming to the 
New York methods as far as their situation will permit. 

3. That this would be helped by the organization of a public 
schools athletic league in each educational center. 

Geo. W. Wingate, 
A. B. Critchfield, 

Committee. 

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